Technical Resumes

For

UGRAD/GRAD
Biomedical Engineering
Students

North Carolina State University

Biomedical Engineering
126 DS Weaver Labs
Campus Box 7625
Raleigh, NC 27695-7625
919.515.6732
bme_info@ncsu.edu
Before you begin writing your resume, determine what you are looking for in a position. Is it an
internship, co-op, permanent or on-campus research position? Then ask the question, what are you
hoping to do and learn in this position. Here are some guidelines regarding the biomedical engineering
industry:

Biotechnology
• Skills Utilized: life science, specifically wet lab skills inclusive of chemistry, organic
chemistry, biology, physiology, cellular biomechanics
• Application: typically in a pharmaceutical/drug discovery environment
• Skills Gained: laboratory expertise, animal handling, small animal surgery, problem-
solving
• Aspect of Biomedical Engineering: Tissue Engineering, Genomics, Proteomics, Drug
Delivery, Biomolecular Engineering, Cellular Engineering
Best Resources to Find Companies: www.biospace.com , http://www.ncbiotech.org/

Drug Discovery Devices

• Skills Utilized: Electrical Engineering, programming, mechanical engineering, life science
• Application: typically to create/test/modify devices needed for drug discovery or analysis,
i.e. a PCR machine (Thermocycler)
• Skills Gained: In depth engineering skills, knowledge of wet-lab applications
• Aspects of Biomedical Engineering: Genomics, Proteomics, instrumentation
• Best Resources to Find Companies: www.biospace.com ; http://www.ncbiotech.org/

Medical/Surgical Devices
• Skills Utilized: Electronics, Mechanics, programming, physiology
• Application: typically to create/test/modify medical devices which is inclusive of Research
and Development, Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing and Marketing departments
• Skills Gained: In-depth engineering skills, FDA regulations and documentation
• Aspects of Biomedical Engineering: Instrumentation, Biomechanics, Optics, Imaging,
Manufacturing, Materials
• Best Resources to Find Companies: MassMedic Directory, Medical Device Register

• Other Options for a BME

• Consulting
• Law
• Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Technical Sales
• Management
• Field Specialist

Once you know your job preference, you should develop a resume that highlights the skills needed for
your desired position. As an example, if you are interested in the medical device field, make sure to
include instrumentation projects and computer skills.
Sections of a Resume
(View the University Career Center Resume Guidelines for Format and Style Suggestions:
http://www.ncsu.edu/career/)

Header
Contact Information, inclusive of phone number and e-mail address

Objective/Summary/Summary of Qualifications
Objective
• Definition: Short statement explaining what you are looking for in a position
• Example: A summer internship in the biomedical engineering industry, focusing on
medical devices
• Benefits: Allows recruiters to know your needs, making it easier to find a position that
matches your interest
• Drawbacks: If you are too specific, you can narrow yourself out of consideration for a
position
• Best Uses: Applying for an entry level or co-op/intern position, having a very specific
position sought, space constraints on resume

Summary
• Definition: One to two lines indicating the contributions you hope to make and your
strengths; MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIMS IN OTHER
PORTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
• Example: Highly motivated, dynamic candidate capable of contributing both technical and
leadership skills
• Benefits: Demonstrates your soft skills, allows a company to view how you would fit into
their culture
• Drawbacks: Does not let the company know what you are seeking in a position
• Best Uses: When applying for positions that are not as technically oriented

Summary of Qualifications
• Definition: A list of three to five bullets listing both technical and non-technical skills,
specifically your most marketable traits for a position; MAKE SURE THAT YOU
SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIMS IN OTHER PORTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
• Example: Experience in biomedical instrumentation; Training in cGMP (current Good
Manufacturing Practices); Demonstrated capacity for leadership; Excellent attention to
detail
• Benefits: Allows employers to scan resume quickly, gives a well-rounded synopsis of your
candidacy, highlights both technical and soft skills
• Drawbacks: Takes up more space on a resume, really useful only if a developed skill set is
possessed, does not address the goals of the candidate
• Best Uses: More experienced candidates trying to neatly summarize capabilities; career
fairs that have a very fast pre-screen period; representing a diverse skill set as a marketable
trait; experienced candidates that would like to change careers

None of the Above

• Definition: Omitting this entire section
• Benefits: Saves space; company must focus on skills represented, avoids being pigeon-
holed in a certain category; avoids a narrow job search
 • Drawbacks: Takes longer for a company to review resume, need a clearly defined cover
letter to address your capabilities and expectations
• Best Uses: An applicant that has a general resume fitting all pertinent experiences and has
not yet defined a target industry/job description or is open to a variety of positions

Education
Degree/Date awarded/University/Location
• Since many BME jobs do not specify a biomedical engineer, you may want to add a
statement that says “Coursework emphasized _________” to more appropriately qualify
your skills
• You should mention your GPA if it is over 3.0 or close to it; It should be listed as
3.XX/4.00 maintaining consistent significant digits
Coursework
• List the relevant courses you have taken; you do not need to list them by course title, but
can instead list them by content if it is more appropriate
• Your coursework should support your career goals and not be a blanket listing of all
classes attended
• Freshmen: Courses listed may include Freshman Modules (call them Seminars on your
resume), Chemistry, Programming and Physics
• Sophomore: Courses listed may include Mechanics, Biology, Electric Circuit Theory,
Probability and Statistics
• Junior: Courses listed may include Human Physiology, Linear Systems, Thermodynamics,
Statistics
• Senior: Electives
• Graduate: Any courses that demonstrate skills in your preferred area
• Additional: Any courses that separate you from other candidates, i.e. business classes
Projects/Labs
• List labs and course projects that support your career objective
• When writing projects make sure to include the goal of the project, technical skills gained
and the results, if applicable, using technically accurate and precise language
• When you develop more substantial project experience, remove older, less technical
projects from your resume
• Freshman: Potential projects can be found from Programming, Chemistry and AP classes
• Sophomore: Biology, Electric Circuit Theory and Mechanics Projects
• Junior: Physiology and Engineering Physiology Laboratory
• Senior: Electives and Senior Project (follow the guidelines for thesis work) will provide
project experience
Thesis
• A thesis project takes a significant amount of time to complete; give your thesis adequate
space on your resume
• Title: Include the title for your project; it may change over time, but make sure it is a title
that could be used in a journal publishing; you may choose to italicize or put the title in
quotes.
• First Bullet: Address the overall goal of your thesis; if you are currently doing the research,
use the present or future tense
• Second Bullet: Tell how you will/have reached the goal of your project (this make take
more than one bullet), explaining the technical skills gained; This may include laboratory
skills, experience with certain devices, experimental design
• Third Bullet: Results of research, if any have been determined, or useful applications of
your research
 • Fourth Bullet: For seniors, list that your project included a formal proposal, written report
and conference presentation; for graduate students, list if you gave any poster
presentations/lectures on your research and if the research was published (if published, see
guidelines on including publications)
• Fifth Bullet: If applicable, include any FDA/Industry Standard regulations that were
followed
Computer Skills:
• List all computer skills in which you have demonstrated working knowledge
Laboratory Skills (Optional):
• List wet-lab skills such as dissection, PCR, gel electrophoresis, etc

Related Experience
• Adequately represent the skills you have gained in the position, with specific attention
given to key technical terms instead of using ‘various’ or another general term
Points to Include:
• Overall goal(s) of the projects you contributed to
• Your specific contributions
• The skills you used to reach goals, highlighting specific skills gained in this position
• Results of your work – if at all possible, quantify results
• Training for professional development especially including cGMP/GLP/GCP
• Any leadership, management, project management experience
• Maintenance of laboratory notebook (undergrad only), participation in group meetings,
presentations, patents

Additional Experience (Optional)

• Use this section to describe other positions that you have held in the same format as
Related Experience
• Important skills to include – communication, leadership, management, finances, website
design, multi-tasking, organization
• If your position did not provide opportunities in the above areas, just list the position title,
company, locations, and dates working

Leadership (Optional)
• Use this section to describe non-work leadership positions such as organization of events,
participation in student groups, Eagle Scout Project, volunteer projects or any other
leadership experience
• There are two different methods to list your Leadership – First, you can use a format
similar to the Experience section or you can choose to have a bulleted or columned listing
of relevant experience; The decision to use either depends on space available and the level
of importance of the experience
• If your leadership experience has a religious affiliation, please be aware that companies
can ask you about your leadership, but cannot ask about your specific affiliation to a
religious group or belief system; If questions are asked, steer the conversation back to your
applicable leadership skills

Awards/Honors (Optional)
• List awards and honor societies

Professional Affiliations (Optional)

 • List all professional societies that you belong to such as: Biomedical Engineering Club,
Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, Minority Engineering
Society
• If you are a member of a society with an ethic/racial/gender affiliation, companies may not
ask you questions regarding those issues; They can only address the applicable skills and
experiences you have gained from your participation in the organization

Interests (Optional)
• Include any activities that may be an interesting conversation starter – things NOT to
include: video games, reading and especially activities that may imply immaturity or
irresponsibility

Languages (Optional)
• You may want to list languages that you are fluent or have reading capabilities; This is
very important to multi-national corporations

Publications/Poster Presentations (Optional)

• If you have publications, include all of them; list them like you would any journal
publishing
• Authors. Title. Journal. Volume (Issue): Pages, Date.
• Make sure to bold your name in the series of authors so that a person reviewing your
resume can find it easily
• Include all conferences of poster presentations along with the presentation title

Conferences (Optional)
• Include conferences attended that demonstrate professional development

Citizenship (Optional)
• If you are able to work in the US without sponsorship but have international experience, it
may be beneficial to include that information so companies are aware of your status
• If you have Canadian, instead of US citizenship, it may be beneficial to include that on
your resume
• If you are on a student visa there are benefits and drawbacks to listing your citizenship
Benefits: Companies will be aware of your status and will only interview you if they are
able to provide sponsorship
Drawbacks: Some companies may choose to not look at your resume further if they know
you do not have a valid work permit, eliminating potential jobs

Special Considerations for Undergraduate Students

• Listing High School Education – Typically students above a sophomore status should not
list high school for two different reasons: First, space constraints, Secondly, they should
have had more recent experience that demonstrates the same point, i.e. a high school
valedictorian is most likely going to have a high GPA in college, mentioning both is
redundant
• No Applicable Work Experience – In order to demonstrate a skill set, you can list class
projects and labs and then include work experience that demonstrates leadership,
reliability, etc
• No Clear Career Objective – This is very common for undergraduate students that have not
been exposed to much BME; Include projects that represent the Biotech/Pharma and
Medical Device skills and you may even want to include the Laboratory Skills section
 (Described in the Education section); Your resume ends up being a general resume that
encompasses all of your skills

Special Considerations for Graduate Students

• Make sure you include thesis description, presentations, fellowships and publications
• Length – Feel free to let your resume go onto two pages; Make sure your contact
information is on both pages (use headers/footers), you number the pages and you only
paperclip them together-NO STAPLES
• Content – Make sure you keep your technical content to the areas applicable to your career
objective; Make sure to include non-technical skills as well such as communication and
leadership
• Project Management – Many grad students work in the labs deciding on project goals and
mentoring undergraduate researchers; This is pertinent leadership and project management
experience

Special Considerations for Alumni

• Follow advice for graduate students if you have a graduate level degree
• List your experience before your education
• List certifications, especially those concerning Industry Standard Regulations
• Focus on the results of your work at an organization, specifically quantifying your
contributions. IE Reduced costs for manufacturing ______ device by 40% through…
• If you want to stay within the same field, use a chronological resume (samples in College
of Engineering Resume Guide); if you want to change fields, a skill based resume is more
valuable (see attached format)
• Skill Based Resume: any headings can be chosen to best represent the skills needed in the
job transition, allowing you to change the focus from position titles to your career goals
Key BME Forced oscillatory Output Industry Production
technique Parameter Protocol
Terms Fuzzy logic estimation Jargon Prototype
Genetic program Ratio
3-D mapping GMP PCR Acquisition Screened
AD converter Heterogeneity Plated Activate Simulate
Affinity Hydrophilic Platelet Adapt Specifications
chromatography Hydrophobic Pressure Aliquot Statistical
Algorithms Image processing transducer Analysis Structural
Analog circuit Impedance Proprioception Assay Synthetic
Anatomical Implants Pumps Autocorrelation Tactical
Assay Input Purification Bind Threshold
Bioinformatics Instruments Respiratory Characterize
Biomechanics Inverse dynamic Restriction mapping Composition
Biosignal equations Saccadic eye Contractile
Biotechnology Ion channels movement Correlated
Cardiac Isolation Sensory Corresponding
Circulatory Kinematic Analysis Sequence Dissection
Clinical equipment Laser-etching Signal processing Durability
Compression Math modeling Spectrophotometer Dynamics
Computational Medical device Statistical analysis Efficiency
Algorithms Medical Stents Force
Concentration instrumentation Stimuli Formal proposal
CT Membrane Stoichastic Homology
Culture Membrane filtration Resonance Theory Impedance
Cytometry Microfluidizers Stroke Integrate
Diagnostic Micromotion Subcloning Integrity
Digital signal Microprocessor Surface area Interpreted
processing Model fitting Time and frequency Manipulate
ECG MRI domain Mechanics
Electrochemical Multiple Model Transducer Methodology
Electromyographic Technique Ultrasound Monitor
Electrophoresis Neuroanatomical Ventilator Morphology
Encoder Neuromuscular Voltage Noninvasive
FDA Neurosurgical Web-based model Novel
Filters NMR spectroscopy ‘Wet-lab’ Optimal
Oscillator Wet- mounts Problem solving
Related Courses Medical Instrumentation Mechanical Desktop
Design Computer Skills MEDX
Analog Electronics Microelectronics Metamorph
Applied Dynamics Neural Networks Access Minitab
Biochemistry Organic Chemistry AIX MS Office
Biological Database Analysis Premed ANOVA MySQL
Biomechanics Probabilistic Systems Architectural Desktop ObjectTime
Biomedical Instrumentation Analysis AutoCAD Origin
Biomolecular Architecture Quantum Mechanics AutoSim PageMaker
Cardiac/ Respiratory Systems Signals and Systems Basic Pascal
Cell Biology Solid Biomechanics C Perl
Cellular and Molecular Statistical Mechanics C++ PhotoShop
Systems Analysis Thermodynamics Cadence Postgres
Control Systems CGI Powerview
Digital Signal Processing Charmm Pro/E
DNA and Protein Sequencing DasyLab PSPICE
Analysis Dyna 3-D Quicken
DNA Structure and Function Essbase Rasmol
Electric Circuit Theory Fortran Scion Image
Electronics GML SigmaPlot
Engineering Economy HP-VEE Simulink
Engineering Mathematics Ideas Solaris
Engineering Mechanics LabView SQL
Engineering Physiology Labs Linux Statistica
Fluid Mechanics MacOs TDT System II
Genetics MADYMO UNIX
Human Physiology MathCAD Visual Basic
Logic Design Mathematica XMGR
Medical Imaging MATLAB